The Express

2nd times a charm

Try the Calzone, awesome. Baked chicken / w, fettuccine, terrific. Only negative is the single giant crouton on the Caesar salad. Everything was great. Carrot Cake shared, great

Our Vote? Not Good, Skip this place!

Someone recommended this place. It must have been a relative or someone who felt sorry for them. I wish they had felt sorry for us instead, we certainly did after eating here. I should have taken my clues from the dark and dingy atmosphere. The open kitchen revealed several disgruntled unfriendly cooks who at best should be kept away from guests. The only saving grace was the bread which was from an outside bakery (surprise, surprise). They served this with foil wrapped butter, another clue which I ignored. The veal parmesan was tough and stringly, not tenderized before breading and with very skimpy sauce which left it dry, hard to eat and the worst I've ever had. It was served with over-cooked penne with sauce that had an extremely unimpressive tomato sauce seasoned with almost non-existent seasoning. How can you go wrong with caesar salad? Wilted, dirty-looking romaine, tasteless croutons, boring cream sauce. Fettucine Alfrredo was pasty and thick. Leftovers were congealed after refrigeration which made us wonder what it was made of? I can't fault the waitress who was pleasant but the only one in a very repressed atmosphere. As we left we saw a dark back room being prepared for a little girl's 1st communion. Poor kid.

Nasty

I wish I had a time machine to warn myself about going in here, but since I don’t, I can at least warn others. Three of us came in, hungry from a long day ready for a warm, elegant meal. Pasta and pizza…what can go wrong? After all, my family and I used to visit The Express a few times here and there and it was great. I ordered the pasta primavera, a dish that traditionally showcases delicate spring veggies in a cream/cheese light sauce. I think the cooks need to re-learn their traditional Italian cuisine. I have never had such a mangled looking “primavera” ever. This plate consisted of thick cut, nay hunks of bell peppers, still half raw on top of pasta, and a rich coating of olive oil. Greasy…hard…and bland. The highlight of the meal? My ginger ale (hey it cut through the grease), and my tiramisu, which was obviously shipped in. My dinner mates had the same problem. Crappy, un-authentic overpriced “Italian”. I had tried to contact them a few months prior in regards to a family event, and catering…thank goodness we took our business elsewhere. I could not even fathom the embarrassment we would have if we had hired them. The Italians in my family would probably shun me for life.

I've noticed the most recent review about this restaurant was 2 months ago. It has vastly changed since then. We were there as a group for my daughters soccer team and it was a fairly large group, but it was Monday night and not too busy. We ordered our meals at approximately 6:15pm. At 7:05pm one of the families were told that the the kitchen just realized there were no mussels, (which they had ordered at 6:15pm) and needed to order something else. Now we were all wondering if there was a problem in the kitchen. At no time did anyone come by to explain why the delay. At 7:30pm with most of us starving as we had come from work, I asked for bread. Being an Italian restaurant, we thought that it would have been fresh and warm. Very far from it. Finally as we were becoming obiviously restless (the team had eaten at approx 6:30pm and the girls were all over the restaurant) around 7:40pm dishes started coming out. The gentlemen next me found a staple in his panzerotti. This was the icing on the cake. Between the poor attitude of the servers and the manager taking offense at our being upset (who waits for over an hour and a half for food), I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone with more than 2 people in their party. If you're not too picky with your quality either then take your chance.

Best Italian Food in Hamilton!

We live very close to The Express. It was recommended to me by my son, who visited with his father. We are very happy that we tried it! The décor and atmosphere in the restaurant is very classic Italian. There is a beautiful bar and bakery section, where the cakes and treats are on display behind a glass. There are nice old cappuccino machines as well, which prompted me to try one at the end of my meal, but I will get to that later. I really like that the tables are spread out, so it feels like you can have a conversation with your company without the whole restaurant hearing it. I also like the open concept of the restaurant, which feels very light, airy, and, well, open. The food was great. Our appetizer was totally delicious, and promptly arrived at our table. The bruschetta really tasted traditionally Italian, as opposed to the unhealthy, westernized breads offered at franchise restaurants. The pasta I enjoyed was also very delicious, and a nice, big portion. The sauce tasted homemade, and the TLC put into the dish was obvious. My companion had a stuffed chicken breast, which he also really enjoyed. The meat was very tender and juicy, and cooked to perfection. I really wanted to eat desert, as those cakes were starring at me for the entire meal (haha!), so we took one to go - we were both stuffed! I had a cappuccino after our meal was finished, and it was just delicious. I think I am going to go back just for the cappuccino when I need a boost! Lastly, the service is also excellent. The waiters and waitresses are very educated and helpful with the food, so if you have any questions, or need a dish recommendation, ask them! You won’t be disappointed. They are also very attentive, kind, and professional. We really don’t have a bad thing to say about this place. For high-quality Italian cuisine in the Hamilton-Stoney Creek-Grimsby area, do yourself a favour and head to The Express!